Future Technician Preparation (Energy)

With spring just around the corner, FLATE Focus continues the discussion of our " Work to do for Future Technician Preparation theme".  The National Science Foundation is extremely interested in what technician education should "look-like" because new and near future advancements in science, engineering, and technology are changing American industry. A technician skills gap in technologies vital to the national interest is also burdened with the time lag connected to the correction of the problem.  Identifying a skills deficiency is the first step. The A.S. degree programs around the country need time to adjust curriculum content to address the identified gaps.  The "future of work" influenced technologies will demand the technical workforce to have a secure knowledge of and comfort level with specific subsets of existing STEM connected math concepts. Thus, identifying which concepts and isolating the optimal subsets quickly is a National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education (NSF-ATE) program interest and NSF-ATE supports projects to accomplish these two tasks.

The ATE program's focus includes, but is not limited to, advanced manufacturing technologies, agricultural and bio-technologies, energy, and environmental technologies, engineering technologies, information technologies, micro- and nanotechnologies, security technologies, geospatial technologies, and applied research on technician education. The "energy" part of NSF-ATE energy and environmental technologies technician education mission contains the common core for all of the ATE focus technologies; new specific contributions from science, technology, and engineering always combined with appropriate applications of mathematics. Although the biotechnology sector (see the January Focus) is a bit difficult to corral into a single identity, energy does have an overarching characteristic carried forward from the first definitions of the 19th Century: work and heat.

The effects of work and heat are virtually the same now as then, however, the technologies that generate the energy for work and heat effects are amazingly more sophisticated. We have gone from water turning a paddle wheel to grind wheat or spin a simple generator to create a limited and local electricity supply to nuclear power plants, solar cells, fuel cells, geothermal systems, and rechargeable batteries.  Perhaps the most ironic twist (besides energy sources that do not need falling water) is the fact that we have also figured out how non-falling water systems (e.g., the Gulf Stream) can be used as energy sources.

The desired outcome (do work, stay warm, and have light at night) is constant. However, the method of accomplishing this goal is becoming more STEM-driven.  These new energy technologies have "borrowed" their innovation from a variety of mathematics, science, and technology sources. The challenge for educators in the field is to pinpoint specific new STEM concepts that support emerging technologies and weave them into curriculum and courses.

Lowering the impact of "future of work" generated technician skill issues in the energy sector requires this STEM identification action.  Which, as you would expect of this series of FLATE Focus articles bring us back to our mantra:  "The work to do starts with you." What do you think should happen in energy-related A.S. programs?  For example: power generated at the system level is, and will continue to combine various energy sources.  What do technicians responsible for maintaining the transmission grid have to know now that was not in their "wheelhouse" even 5 years ago?  Is the actual production of solar and fuel cells hampered by a gap in the technicians’ skills toolbox? If yes, which specific skills? Is new battery technology imposing new skills on the technician workforce making those batteries?  These types of questions frame the focus for the preparation of new technicians in the energy sector. Guidance toward the answers of these and other related questions most come from experts in the energy sector.

The National Science Foundation is listening and can put what it hears into action so now is the time to speak up.  Think about the skills needed. Contact us.  Send us your thoughts. You can make us spring into action by inserting your technical experience into a strategy to reduce technician skills gap in the energy sector.